Author's Note: This is it! I want to thank everyone who has read this story and left reviews along the way. Thank you for the story alerts and favorites and I hope that you enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. An extra special thanks to Katy for being a super awesome rockstar the entire time.

Don't fall apart
Don't let it go
Carry the notion
Carry the notion back to me

Blair was expecting the worst when she walked into Lily's penthouse. She'd been in the process of getting ready for one of her mother's charity galas that she had zero interest in attending when she'd received the 911 text from Serena asking her to come to the penthouse immediately. She could only assume the worst had happened. Serena had told Carter the truth and he had freaked out.

So Blair had sent Dorota to the gala in her place with an apology message for Eleanor and rushed to the Palace as quickly as her Jimmy Choos would allow. She was prepared for tears and hysteria and she had every intention of soothing Serena's pain while she came up with a plan to make Carter forgive her. She wasn't against blackmail or brute force if necessary. She wasn't about to lose her best friend again because of Carter's ego. She was Mrs. Chuck Bass. There was nothing she didn't know about stubborn male pride.

What she did not expect to find when she walked into Serena's bedroom was her best friend calmly packing her suitcase. Serena was humming to herself as she placed travel-sized toiletries on top of her neatly folded clothes. She looked up when she heard Blair come into the room and smiled.

"Hi B, thanks for coming."

"Hi S," Blair replied cautiously. Serena's makeup was flawless and her hair was pulled back in a tidy fresh from the shower braid. Blair had never known Serena to be this calm about anything – especially when she was packing for a trip. Blair wondered if it was possible she was in shock.

"I got your 911 text. Is everything okay with Carter?" Blair asked. She watched Serena's face carefully.

She barely blinked as she closed her suitcase. "No, Carter is furious with me for lying to him and he said he needs some time. I have to go back to Paris so we can talk when I get home."

The calm in her voice convinced Blair that Serena had suffered some sort of mental break. Her worst fears had come true and she was acting like she broke a nail. Serena had been inconsolable the last time she fought with Carter and that had been about furniture. There was no way the Serena she knew would be taking this so lightly unless she had lost her mind.

"S, how can you be so calm? What did Carter say when you told him about the stalker?" Blair asked. She braced herself for Serena to fall apart.

"I didn't tell him," Serena said. She sat down on the edge of the bed and gestured for Blair to sit beside her. "He already knew before I got there. His private eye busted Chuck's."

Blair took a moment to process the information. Carter had found out on his own which meant he was probably a hundred times more furious than he would have been if Serena had confessed. She imagined the fallout had to have been epic. Maybe Serena needed to be medicated. Or maybe she already was.

"S, did you take something? Leftover Valium, maybe?"

Serena laughed. "We're past the days when we had drugs stashed around the penthouse. You can stop looking at me like you're afraid m head is going to start spinning around. I'm all right."

"How can you be?" Blair asked. "Carter is the love of your life and he found out from someone else that you lied about something huge. This is what you were afraid of." She spoke slowly in case Serena's brain had forgotten how to process language. Maybe she should just take her straight to the hospital and let the professionals help her. Chuck would find a way to keep it off Gossip girl's radar.

"B, stop it. I'm not crazy," Serena assured her. "I know Carter loves me and I know we'll find a way to get past this."

"Of course you will," Blair agreed. She wondered if Lily and Rufus were home. She might need help getting Serena to the hospital.

"Blair," Serena said. Her voice was laced with irritation. "I know you think I'm having some sort of mental breakdown and you're probably imagining fitting me with a straitjacket. That won't be necessary."

"Okay," Blair said. At least Serena was starting to sound a little more like herself if she was getting annoyed. Blair decided to push a little. "Do you remember when you saw Carter with Emily and fell apart because you thought he'd moved on? Or the time you fled New York for seven years because you couldn't be without him? That's the Serena I'm used to."

Serena sighed. "I cried for an hour in the stairwell outside Carter's loft. The ache in my chest hurt so bad that I didn't think I'd ever be able to move again. Is that what you want to hear, Blair?"

"Yes!" Blair cried, more excitedly than the situation called for. She rolled her eyes when she saw Serena wince. "You know what I mean, S. I don't want to see you in pain, but I need to know that you're still in there."

"I am," Serena assured her. "But I know this time is different. All Carter needs is some time. I understand that, B. He's hurt and angry and I want him to do whatever he has to do. But I know he'll come back to me because he loves me and he knows we belong together."

Blair still wasn't convinced Serena was operating with a full deck. In fact, she was starting to believe she was a whole different kind of crazy where she thought she was living in a Taylor Swift song. "S, you know I want you to be happy and I know how much you love Carter, but are you sure you're being realistic about this? Carter could decide that it's over and you need to be prepared for that possibility so we can come up with a plan to change his mind."

"No plans," Serena warned. She narrowed her eyes at Blair. "That's what got us into this mess and I'm through being sneaky. I'm going to Paris and when I get back, I'll talk to Carter. If he's still not ready, I'll give him more time. But we will get through this."

"All right," Blair agreed. Serena was pretty confident and maybe it was for the best that she wasn't falling to pieces. But Blair still didn't want her to be alone in case reality set in and she decided to do something crazy like stay in Paris. "Let me come to Paris with you. We can tack a few days on the trip and do some shopping."

Serena smiled and reached for her hand. "I know what you're worried about B and I promise you I'm not running away. I'll be home in two days."

"I know that," Blair said with an easy smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "But you know how much I love shopping in Paris. Remember when we were looking for my wedding dress? That was a lot of fun."

"I do," Serena replied. She smiled at Blair. "I promise you that I'm coming back. I'm not leaving Carter or you or Chuck or anyone else. I found happiness and I'm not giving it up."

"Okay," Blair said. She knew it was silly that Serena had ended up comforting her, but she still felt better. "If you've got everything figured out, why did you want me to rush over here?" she asked.

"I need you to keep Chuck away from Carter. I know they've both been trying for our sakes, but I don't want Chuck antagonizing Carter when he's hurting," Serena said. The last thing she needed was to make Carter angrier than he already was.

"I'll talk to Chuck," Blair promised. She knew her husband was coming to terms with Carter being in their lives even if he would never admit it. She didn't think it would be too hard to convince him to stay away for Serena's sake.

"Thank you, B. I'll feel better knowing Carter doesn't have the added pressure of dealing with Chuck," Serena said.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you? I can talk to Chuck while I'm packing," Blair offered.

Serena shook her head. "I appreciate the offer, but I need to do this on my own. I'll be back before you have time to miss me," she promised.

Blair nodded. "If you need me, don't hesitate to call."

(&&&&&)

Carter was doing his best to stay busy. Since he had barely slept, he was downstairs at the restaurant going over details before seven a.m. He approved the list of specials the chef wanted for the grand opening and put in calls to verify deliveries with all the suppliers. He checked and rechecked the staff schedules and made sure all the VIP guests had been confirmed. He made notes to go over with Matt and separate notes to go over with the chef.

Nothing he did kept his mind off Serena.

He knew she was already on her way to Paris and there was a part of him that hated the way they'd left things. It was all too reminiscent of the times they had walked out on one another in the past. They were supposed to be beyond that now. They were supposed to be in an adult relationship where they could live together and be in love and happy.

But that was pretty hard to do when it was all based on a lie. Serena had lied and he had fallen for it and he was so angry about the entire situation. He was angry at Serena and he was angry at himself. He was supposed to know better. There was a reason he'd wanted to avoid getting involved with Serena again and the constant ache in his chest was a constant reminder that he was an idiot.

He heard the front door open and waited for Matt to join him at the bar. Hopefully he would do a better job distracting him with work than Carter was doing on his own.

"Shouldn't there be people doing actual work around here? I'm not paying everyone to slack off when we're this close to opening."

Carter glared at Chuck when he sat down beside him. "What do you want, Bass?" He was in no mood for Chuck's twisted mind games. He'd never been one for physical violence, but if there was ever a day Carter saw himself losing control, this was it.

"I'm checking on my investment. Like it or not, we're partners and I have a vested interest in your success," Chuck replied.

"Come back after we've opened," Carter said. He rose from his chair and went behind the bar to pour himself a drink.

Chuck raised an eyebrow. "Don't you think it's a little early to be dipping into the good scotch?"

"Go away," Carter replied. He threw the drink back and let the liquid soothe him. If Chuck kept talking, there was a safe bet he would guzzle the entire bottle.

"You're a fool," Chuck said, his voice dripping with disdain. "I guess I was right about you all along."

Carter set his glass down so hard that it rattled, but didn't shatter and scowled at Chuck. "Go ahead, Bass. Gloat that I'm a fool because I believed in Serena when she was lying to me the whole time."

Chuck rolled his eyes. "You're a fool, Baizen, but not because you trusted Serena. You're a fool because you're willing to let her slip through your fingers again."

Confused, Carter stared at Chuck, wondering if he was missing something. It sounded like Chuck was reprimanding him for letting Serena go which was ridiculous because that wasn't what happened, but even if it was, it made no sense that Chuck would be the one lecturing him about it instead of rejoicing.

"Serena lied to me for months," Carter pointed out. "But that's for us to deal with. I don't need your opinion."

"You're getting it anyway," Chuck replied. He reached for the bottle of scotch and refilled Carter's glass. "You had to have known the stalker story was a lie." He toasted Carter before taking a drink. "It was obvious Blair came up with it on the spur of the moment. You saw that and you ignored it because you were looking for an excuse to be near Serena."

Carter took the bottle back and put it under the bar. "I didn't trust you or Blair, but I believed Serena when she looked me in the eye and told me Blair was telling the truth."

"You told yourself you believed her," Chuck corrected him. "You loved Serena and you wanted a reason to be close to her and she handed you one on a silver platter. But deep down, you know it was a lie. It didn't make much sense and Serena didn't seem scared, but that was okay because she needed you and you could be there for her without sacrificing your pride."

"I'm not sure what you're getting at, Chuck. Do you think I wanted Serena to make a fool out of me? I can assure you that was not the case," Carter said dryly.

"Keep up," Chuck suggested. "You're not going to get past this until you admit to yourself that you knew all along that the stalker wasn't real and you were fine with that because it brought you and Serena back together."

"What would be the point of that?" Carter asked. "She still lied to me for months. What makes you think you know me so well anyway?

Chuck rolled his eyes again and drank the rest of the scotch. He set the glass down and met Carter's gaze. "You and I are exactly alike and we both know it. The reason we don't play well together is because it's too much like looking in a mirror. I had to make this choice once. I could take the happiness Blair was offering or I could go on with my miserable existence without her and have my pride fully intact. I'm telling you all of this so you don't make that mistake and live with the regret for the rest of your life."

"I didn't realize you cared, Chuck," Carter said quietly.

"Yes, you did." Chuck stood up to leave. "You know what you need to do." He started to walk away and then stopped himself, turning back and fixing Carter with a cold stare. "I suggest you don't repeat anything I've said because I will disavow any knowledge of his conversation and make it my new goal to crush you."

Carter smiled. "Noted."

Chuck nodded, satisfied. "Don't be a fool, Carter," he warned.

(&&&&&)

Serena stood in her bedroom watching the sunset in the Paris sky for one final time. Packing had gone even faster than she'd anticipated since she hadn't acquired that much stuff over the years aside from her wardrobe. She'd boxed up all her clothes, shoes and accessories and arranged for the service to ship everything to New York. All of her camera equipment was already in New York so she spent most of the day sorting through miscellaneous decorations and souvenirs she had collected over the years deciding what was worth keeping and what needed to be thrown away. She had already talked to her landlord about the furniture she wanted to leave behind. There wasn't much else for her to do except wait for morning so she could fly home.

Her phone beeped and even though she knew it would be Blair checking on her for the millionth time, a part of her hoped it was Carter. She knew he needed time, but she desperately wanted to hear from him. She checked the message and it was Blair complaining about the boring party Chuck had dragged her to. Serena knew that was B's way of being subtle. Serena responded with an "I'll see you tomorrow" message and hoped that would satisfy her friend's worry.

It wasn't that she didn't appreciate Blair's concern. Serena had heard every word Blair had said and those she hadn't when they had talked at the Palace. She knew Blair wanted her to be prepared for the worst and maybe there was a small part of Serena that wondered if Blair was right. Carter could easily decide he wants nothing to with her and she needed to accept that could be a possibility.

But Serena had a hard time believing that would happen. Carter loved her and she loved him. He'd asked her to move in with him. Those feelings were not going to go away just because she had lied. He would get past this. He just needed time. She swallowed the lump that threatened in her throat. Everything had to work out. They had come too far to turn back now.

The knock on the door surprised her. Serena figured her landlord must have found something else for her to sign. (Who knew moving out of an apartment required so much paperwork?) She checked her reflection in the mirror and wiped away the stray tears that had appeared in the corners of her eyes. She ran a hand over her hair and forced her best friendly smile when she opened the door.

Her jaw dropped in shock when she saw Carter standing in the hallway.

His heart turned over just looking at her. She was dressed fairly casual for Serena in white shorts and a loose fitting green tank top. He could see how shocked she was to see him and under different circumstances, he might make a quip about how easy he could surprise her after all these years. But this wasn't the time.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

"Of course," Serena said, finally finding her voice. She stepped aside so he could enter her apartment. "I'd offer you something to drink, but I don't have anything." She mentally chided herself for saying something so stupid. Carter hadn't come all the way to Paris to sit around drinking coffee and making small talk.

"That's all right," Carter said. He glanced around the apartment. It was compact like most Parisian apartments but he could see Serena living there. His eyes were drawn to the open window and the stunning view of the Eiffel Tower. "The view is spectacular." He crossed the apartment to get a better look. Knowing Serena, he imagined she spent a lot of time staring out into the night.

"It was one of the main draws and it's probably what I'll miss the most," Serena admitted. She joined him at the window but attempted to keep a reasonable distance between them. As much as she was dying to throw her arms around him and cling to him, she knew she had to let Carter set the pace. He was the one who flew across the ocean to see her.

"I was thinking that it's odd that we've never spent time together in Paris before," Carter commented. He turned from the window to look at her. "We've been to the south of France more than once, but never Paris."

Serena nodded. She couldn't read his expression, but she had a feeling she knew what he was getting at. "It's one of the reasons I chose to live here. Most of the places in Europe remind me of you and those summers we spent together. Paris was a neutral ground," she admitted.

"I had a feeling you would say that," Carter said. He turned back to the window, his eyes focused on the Eiffel Tower. "I felt the same way about Los Angeles. It's about as different from New York as you can get and it doesn't have memories around every corner."

"But New York is home," Serena pointed out.

"It is," Carter agreed. He turned to face her again, his blue eyes locking with hers. "Chuck came to see me at the restaurant this morning."

Serena frowned. "I asked Blair to keep him away. She promised she would talk to him."

"I get the feeling Blair had no idea he was there. I have to say it was the most revealing and honest conversation Chuck and I have ever had. Of course, he will deny it if you asked him about it," Carter said.

Serena wasn't sure what to say. She was still having a hard time reading Carter. He didn't seem angry, but he didn't seem overly happy to see her either. She forced herself to keep being patient. But she was curious about what Chuck had to say to Carter. "What did you two talk about?" she asked.

"Chuck was kind enough to tell me that I'm a fool and he said I must have known the truth about the stalker the entire time," Carter explained.

Serena's heart sank. This was exactly why she'd wanted to keep Chuck away from Carter. "I'm so sorry. He had no right to do that."

Carter smiled. "When has Chuck Bass ever cared if he had the right to do something? But it turns out, he may have been right."

Serena was confused. "Are you saying you knew there was no stalker?" she asked.

"On some level," Carter admitted. He reached for her hand and led her to the couch. He kept her hand in his as they sat down. "The story was ridiculous, Serena, and it had the Blair Waldorf-Bass stamp all over it. You avoided talking about it whenever it came up and when we did talk, you said as little as possible. I knew something was off, but I chose to ignore it."

"I'm so sorry, Carter. I never should have gone along with Blair's plan, but I was desperate. I didn't know what else to do to get you to give me a chance," Serena said.

Carter nodded. "I get that, Serena. After Chuck left, I was thinking about the way I acted when I first came back to the city. I was convinced all I needed to do was avoid you and I could forget everything that happened between us and how I felt about you. It really was foolish of me."

Serena squeezed his hand. "I know all about self-preservation. Look how many times I've run away over the years. I can't blame you for not wanting anything to do with me. I know how much I hurt you, Carter. I never wanted to do that again." Her voice faltered and she willed herself not to cry.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tightly against his chest. She didn't hesitate to cling to him like she'd wanted to since he'd walked in the door. She let her head fall against his heart and he pressed a soft kiss to her temple. "I know," he said quietly.

"Can you forgive me?" Serena asked. She pulled back slightly so she could look up at him with hope in her blue eyes.

He smiled at her. "Come on, Serena. Do you really think I flew all the way to Paris to tell you that I can't forgive you?" He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her softly. "I love you and I think it's safe to say we've both wasted too much time over the years being stubborn."

"Agreed." Serena pulled him close for another kiss and melted into him. She let go of the fear she'd been afraid to face and basked in the happiness she'd been so desperate to believe in. Carter loved her and he was here and everything was the way it was supposed to be.

He stroked a hand over her cheek when the kiss broke. "Is there anything else I need to know?"

Serena laughed. She could tell he was teasing. "Just that I love you," she replied.

"Good because you're going to be stuck with me," Carter said. He tightened his grip around her. "What do you say we rearrange your flight home and spent a few more days here? I don't know about you, but I think it's a travesty that we haven't seen all the sights together."

"That sounds wonderful, but you have to get ready for the grand opening," Serena reminded him.

"I am ready. Everything is in order and Matt will handle anything that comes up," Carter said. "What do you say, beautiful? Do you want to explore Paris with me?"

Serena wondered if it was possible for her heart to explode with happiness. "I'd love to," she said.

Carter smiled. "Good. Where should we start?"

"We could go to dinner," Serena suggested. "There are some really great cafés within walking distance." She traced her fingertips along Carter's chest. "Unless there's some other way you want to spend the evening."

His smile widened. "I definitely think staying in might be in our best interest." Carter covered her mouth with his.

"Good answer," Serena whispered against his lips.